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Mrs May speaking to half empty, funereal House of Commons, & has nearly lost her voice. She sounds dreadful. A pitiful end to a pitiful premiership
Notable that the Commons was far fuller for the Attorney General than now for the Prime Minister. MPs clearly thought his legal opinion far more important than her platitudes
Philip May in the gallery, looking down solemnly. Is he here for her last speech?
Mrs May speaking very weakly, merely going through the motions. She is as tired of mouthing the platitudes as her audience is of listening to them
Mrs May: ‘this deal sends a message to the whole world ....’ Cue laughter. The message it sends is weakness, self harm & xenophobia
Mrs May sucking hard on a lozenge. A Labour MP intervenes, almost cruelly, to say she ‘hopes the prime minister’s voice lasts until the end of her speech’
I have never seen the Commons so empty for a major prime ministerial speech. Most MPs on their mobiles & paying little attention as Mrs May ploughs on almost inaudible. ‘I just want to say something about Gibraltar ...’
Michael Gove & Andrea Leadsome constantly on their mobiles while sitting alongside Mrs May on the front bench. Planning for the leadership election?
Mrs May sounding as if she has essentially given up - although she is hard to hear as her voice has almost given up & she is clearly unwell. Painful to watch
Ken Clarke sounding as if he might vote for the deal. First smile of day from Mrs May
Mrs May as good as accepts that she will need to extend Article 50 beyond 29 March even if her deal passes today (‘the whips will need to decide how long is needed to pass the necessary legislation’)
‘This is the moment, this is the time,’ is Mrs May’s anaemic peroration, to groans
